Palio 1.3 MJD Test Driven and Ripped.

[jyobeb]

Took a drive on the 1.3 too. The car felt as good as Palio's always have been. The interiors are as good/bad as they have always been. The built to cost, idea is not the right presumption as they have been the same for the last 9 years.
Funnily enough, I felt that the car was quicker than the Swift diesel and I've driven a few swift diesels.

[adityamunshi]

The interiors look outdated. Even the Indica has a better instrument cluster, gear knob etc.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by abhibh

Interiors: I think it was the biggest let down for me at least. Fiat has gone TATA way. I was checking the top-end model and its interior quality was no way better than Swift or old Palio (blue interior). Plastic was tacky and it was giving TATA cars feeling.

Originally Posted by abhibh

Handling / Comfort: Well no complaints in this section. FIAT as always a winner here notch above swift in handling / comfort and high speed stability.

Originally Posted by abhibh

i would say the car still has the tank build as it was straight on line and i was still driving the car with 1 hand unlike swift which will need to hands on the steering at that speed. Even breaks were very good without ABS. Good job there FIAT

In conclusion, if the vehicle is bad at anything, blame Tata.

If its good at something, it has to be the Italians.



The Palio always had lousy interiors, which got worse on the 'Stile' - long before Tata got into the equation. The pictures you've posted look like they came out of the Stile.

Buy an Indica Dicor. At least it doesnt pretend to be a tank.

[undead]

Good thing i didnt wait for this palio and booked the Getz CRDi instead as its got better build quality(i like the interiors of the getz and the wooden trim too ) , NVH almost NIL , better A.S.S compared to FIAT in my area, and last but not the least - the powerful 110 bhp engine.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by undead

Good thing i didnt wait for this palio and booked the Getz CRDi instead as its got better build quality(i like the interiors of the getz and the wooden trim too ) , NVH almost NIL , better A.S.S compared to FIAT in my area, and last but not the least - the powerful 110 bhp engine.

Hey! give us some more about the Getz CRDi. Hows its handling, ride comfort, F.E and overall performance. How much did it cost you OTR.

[sanjaymugur]

No FIAT bashing please..

only if you like FIAT then buy the car else no need to bring it down in a crab culture style...

FIAT cars always requires nice run-in, whether diesel or petrol, it opens up after 5K kms only, cause engine is designed to be as GOOD AS NEW for about 2lakh kms...

even though sales of earlier 1.9 diesel fiat( palio & petra) are not that great, not a single customer has been unhappy either for its performance or mileage , on highways it would give consistent 22 kmpl... infact FIAT diesels are better appreciated by its customers than its petrol siblings world over. please give a benefit of doubt for the MJT engine which has been won accolades for its emission, performance & mileage... get a tunit box & hell breaks loose(Diesel Performance Vehicles supported by Tunit Performance)

as far as petrol cars are concerned,i have never heard a 1.2 petrol palio give less than 12kmpl to 13kmpl once it has crossed 10K km on ODO here in bangalore.. even if it has a bad run-in..

for looks , just see BS motoring march 08 issue where all the hatches are lined up.. only DIESEL PALIO stands apart from its front looks... the front grill + new red fiat logo + double barrel eyed head lamp looks stunning..

A.S.S of fiat cars is completely TATA's headache, it will be as good or as bad when u buy a TATA car, since production at pune plant is in fully swing, spare parts availability would not be an issue...

FIAT, always.....

[finneyp]

Thanks abhibh for the first TD report of Palio 1.3 MJD!

As expected Palio still scores on Build quality, Ride comfort, Handling, Space and now FE and power from that 1.3 MJD heart!

Agree interiors are dated, but is ergonomic, practical & serves the purpose well.

[undead]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

Hey! give us some more about the Getz CRDi. Hows its handling, ride comfort, F.E and overall performance. How much did it cost you OTR.

From the testdrive i had - The handling is good ,not THE best as the suspension is little soft , but due to that the ride comfort is much better (than my ikon flair), it handles the rough roads better . The engine is awesome , step on the gas and you will feel the power for sure and the NVH is at the lowest level (on windows closed), lower than my ikon flair (which is a petrol) .I didnt test the fuel efficiency , will be able to give it only after i get my hands on my car . Overall engine performance is V.Good . Space is slightly better than my ikon. Dont get fooled by the size from the outside . You need to get inside the car to believe it. Comfortable for long journeys. The interiors wont impress everyone , but i liked it. The OTR road costs 6.16 L , and i paid Rs.25000 as booking amount. IMO , its an entertaining car and value for money.
I cant wait to get the car.

[shatrughna]

If its a difference of just 45K, in my opinion its better to stick with Swift.My experience with Fiat after sales service is just 3 months old( sufficient time after the tie up with Tata) and its horrible. There are very few Fiat technicians, almost non available critical spare parts like injectors and very costly and often a low priority service is rendered to fiat owners at Tata dealerships( 2 workshops that I interacted with in Mumbai- Fortune and Wasan).

And of course , re sale value of a Swift even after 4 years, will be far better than a 3 year old Palio(read Fiat) in India irrespective of the waiting period. It may be worth waiting, in my opinion.

[govigov]

I called up the tata dealers here yesterday for a test drive and the car is not here, they said the car has not yet been launched, and they are expecting the car "anytime this year"

the dealers were koyenco

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by shatrughna

My experience with Fiat after sales service is just 3 months old( sufficient time after the tie up with Tata) and its horrible. There are very few Fiat technicians, almost non available critical spare parts like injectors and very costly and often a low priority service is rendered to fiat owners at Tata dealerships( 2 workshops that I interacted with in Mumbai- Fortune and Wasan).

Considering that the swift also runs on the same engine, I guess spare part availability should not be an issue. I guess the situation will become even better when the Indica comes out with the 1.3 MJD

Originally Posted by shatrughna

And of course , re sale value of a Swift even after 4 years, will be far better than a 3 year old Palio(read Fiat) in India irrespective of the waiting period. It may be worth waiting, in my opinion.

Cheers,
Rajan

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Considering that the swift also runs on the same engine, I guess spare part availability should not be an issue. I guess the situation will become even better when the Indica comes out with the 1.3 MJD

I dont think engine spares will be a problem. However, pretty much all other spares, which would be specific to Palio Stile, may continue to have problems. The owner experiences suggest that even basic stuff like bumpers, mirrors etc are rarely in stock with the dealers. Even with excellent service levels from the dealer, this would create big A.S.S headaches.

[arif_t01]

@ govigov

Try R.F Motors. Booking already started there. Vehicles in transit, will be there next week.

Prices:

Model___Ex-Sh___On-Rd
SD______442K____486K
SDE_____462K____508K
SDX_____482K____530K

[amit]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

The Palio always had lousy interiors, which got worse on the 'Stile' - long before Tata got into the equation. The pictures you've posted look like they came out of the Stile.

There is a lot of talk about Palio's lousy interiors and there is no argueing with that fact but for all those who are flaming Palio's interior quality, do you realise how ergonomic and thoughtful the interiors are laid out? For example, all the power window switches are back lit and fall easily into the hands. My Rs.8.xx lakhs SX4 doesn't have back lit power window switches and when I try to put the windows down in the dark, I always end up pressing the right rear power window switch. In short, I have to keep fishing to find the correct switch. Another feature well thought out in the Palio, are the remote release for the fuel lid and trunk. The trunk release lever is longer in length then the fuel lid release lever. In the SX4 they are next to each other and you got to keep remembering which lever is on the left and which on the right. And this isn't something that you use only when you go to fill up fuel. Every time I drive into a mall in the SX4, I have to remember which side lever to pull and many times I end up opening the fuel lid instead of the trunk!

Buy an Indica Dicor. At least it doesnt pretend to be a tank.

What is the problem with being well built? If Skoda's are called built like a tank, no one raises an eyebrow. It's a fact that the Palio is easily the most well built hatchback today. The term "built like a tank" came in through auto-mags like ACI. It's not a term coined by a fiat owner (or 'Fiat fan's' as team-bhp likes to call fiat owners) But well, what do the auto experts know. Team-bhp'ians are after all the industry standard in anything automotive.

We flame Swift for being badly put together and we flame Palio for being well put together!

The first rattle in my SX4 appeared within 2800kms. 62,000+ kms later, I am still waiting for a rattle in my Palio. The front right speaker in my SX4 rattles from day one at volume of 30 and over. Nothing of that sort happened in my Palio. Forget the doors, the trunk in my SX4 has to banged hard a couple of times before it closes. The hatch in my Palio shuts normally. No need to check and re-check if it's locked. The Palio maybe 5 years old but it still shows and teaches a couple of things about build and good engineering to 5 years newer cars that are twice as costly.

Over the years, even I have started looking at the Palio like a old relic. Having owned and lived with another car for a few months has shown me these little things.

[srishiva]

Amit,
'What do auto experts know" ?
You are right. How could you believe them whey they say glorious things about Swift's sportiness! They might be drinking every time they drive the Swift.